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Space Ghost Sidekicks 

Wow - it's already been two years since the original Space Ghost figure came out from Toycom.  Back then, Art Asylum did most of the work for them, producing one of the best figures of the year.  This time, Art Asylum was still involved - they did the packaging design - but even without their close involvement, Toycom has produced a winner.

All three of the 'sidekicks' on Space Ghost Coast to Coast are in this wave - Brak, Moltar and Zorak.  They retail for around $10-$15 each, depending on where you pick them up, obviously.

Sometime next month we should see the release of the Space Spectre, Space Ghosts evil opposite.




Packaging - ***
The packaging is very similar to the original Space Ghost, making it good for MOMC collectors who hang them on the wall together.  It's bright and colorful, with nicely laid out graphics.  The only real negative is that the back of the cards are generic, with nothing special to donate each figure.  QA on the text was weak as well - read it and you'll see what I mean.

Sculpting - ***1/2
This sculpt was done by 'Vice'.  I'm not sure if that's merely a person, or a design team, but the work is certainly as nice as the previous Space Ghost, and more complicated.

Sure, since it's a cartoon, these sculpts don't have the complexity of a real human. But Brak and Zorak are both more detailed sculpts than Space Ghost was, and the work is superb. 

There's a couple minor quibbles - Brak's chin seems a little too long and pointy, and the body sculpt on Zorak looks like it will have issues standing over time - but for the most part, the sculpting is excellent.

Paint - ***
The paint ops are good, and also more complicated than Space Ghost, with 5 or 6 colors being used.  There's still not a lot of detail, but that's they style of the cartoon.

Articulation - ***1/2
One of the greatest things about Space Ghost was the terrific articulation, and many people were worried that they would loose that feature with the second series.  Many of the early prototype pictures showed far fewer points of articulation.

Have no fear - these are great.  The only lose of articulation is at the shoulders, since Space Ghost had ball jointed shoulders, and these only have cut joints.  Still, with ball jointed necks, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, waist and ankles, these have plenty of joints for posing and playing.

The only issue I have is on some of the strength of the joints themselves, particularly with Zorak.  I suspect that breaking them could be a little too easy, and that even though Zorak has all kinds of articulation, his sculpt limits how much good it is.

Accessories - ***
All three figures only have one accessory.  In the case of Moltar and Zorak though, it's such a large, cool accessory that it's understandable.

But Brak only comes with his extra set of arms/hands, and that seems extremely light for this price point.

Zorak comes with his keyboard, and Brak comes with his console.  Both look just like the show, and the great sculpting and good paint ops that you see on the figures extends to the accessories.

My only other disappointment is that Moltar's screen doesn't have any video picture on it.  A sticker is really a necessary touch.

Value - ***
The value for these is actually better than the original Space Ghost.  He hit stores at $20, and that's really too much.  At $15, they get three stars - if you can find them for $10, that's a great buy.

Overall - ***1/2
I'm not a huge fan of Coast to Coast, although when I do get to catch it I always come away laughing.  But I do remember the original Space Ghost cartoons fondly from my youth, and Toycom has done a terrific job bringing these characters into the 3-D world.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well these turned out, and if you're a big fan of the show I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Where to Buy
I picked my set up at Media Play, but they were $15 each plus tax.  I know that Tower Records is also getting them in the stores, but I'm unsure about others like Electronics Boutique.  On-line there are some decent deals:

- Entertainment Earth has a set for $40 plus shipping.  That beats what I paid at Media Play! (MROTW Affiliate)

- Action Figure Express has the set for $45 plus shipping. (MROTW Affiliate)

- Toyzz.com doesn't have these guys, but if you're looking for a bargain on the original, they have the clear variant for just $8 right now.  Search for 'space ghost'.


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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